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Janelle Monae, Ladyhawke Nod to Past and Future With Polished, Poppy SXSW Sets

Janelle Monáe — the funky R&B rocker Rolling Stone named Hot Sci-Fi Beyoncé on last year’s Hot List — likes to make an entrance. The OutKast protégée made not one, but three during her brief Wednesday night SXSW set at Stubb’s, first flouncing onto the stage as a female voice-over instructed the audience “no phasers, only chainsaws” were permitted, generating a stunning silhouette as her springy pompadour reflected the spotlight. Her poppy yet bizarre songs recalled Of Montreal’s glammy pastiche, though there were clearly nods to Prince and James Brown in her striking stage show (and frequent count-offs of “One, two, three, four!”). (Check out photos of Janelle Monae and more in our SXSW gallery.) On “Many Moons” Monáe busted out an extremely funky chicken in her now-traditional crisp white jacket with black lapels. But she dialed everything back to basics for ballad “Smile,” a torchy piece that she belted flawlessly, accompanied only by her stellar, Andre 3000-lookalike guitarist. “Sincerely Jane” was packed with bass and brassy low sounds, conjuring something both retro and futuristic, recalling the early-Sixties vibe Duffy and Adele have spun into success. The only drawback was that though the stage sounded packed with musicians, the guitarist and a drummer were Monáe’s only live accompaniment (layers of backing vocals and other instruments came care/of a backing track). But though it certainly felt like a full-scale pop spectacle crammed onto that modest Stubb’s stage, Monáe made sure to make a very rock & roll exit, crowd-surfing her way through her final number before vanishing for good. Next, New Zealand Eighties revivalist Ladyhawke ran through an extremely polished set of tightly arranged synth-rock. Opener “Dusk Till Dawn” shimmered with Scissor Sisters boogie, “Magic” throbbed with the power of propulsive but eerie disco and “Another Runaway” recalled both Donna Summer and Pat Benatar with its anthemic yet glittery vibe. Singer Pip Brown stood anchored c

Published: 2009-03-19
Provider: Rolling Stone
Keywords: Festivals, Videos, SXSW